Although there are no reliable figures, the diaspora is estimated to be around 14 million people, far more than the internal population of Lebanon of around 4 million.[3][4] According to other estimates the number of Lebanese living outside the country is thought to at the very least double the number of citizens living inside,[1] which means at least 8 million people. Of the diaspora, 1.2 million are Lebanese citizens.[5]

The Americas have long been a destination for Lebanese migration, with Lebanese arriving in some countries at least as early as the nineteenth century. The largest concentration of Lebanese outside the Middle East is in Brazil, which has, according to some sources, at least 6 million Brazilians of Lebanese ancestry, making Brazil's population of Lebanese more than twice that of the entire population of Lebanon. The population of Brazil of either full or partial Lebanese descent is estimated at 7 [7] million people by Arab-Brazilian organizations. According to a research conducted by IBGE in 2008, covering only the states of Amazonas, Paraíba, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso and Distrito Federal, 0.9% of white Brazilian respondents said they had family origins in the Middle East[8]

Many Lebanese entrepreneurs and business people worldwide have proved very successful, in all kinds of sectors and contexts. Therefore, Lebanese abroad are considered "rich, educated and influential."[10]Remittances from Lebanese abroad to family members within the country were estimated at $8.9 billion in 2014 and accounted for 18% of the country's economy.[11] However, there remains a great untapped potential for further collaboration and cooperation between the diaspora and the Lebanese in their home-country. Foreign direct investment is below 7% of the GDP, and almost half the Lebanese population is in tertiary education.

Throughout its history, the Lebanese diaspora used the Lebanese identity to create strong networks to help its members out. That helped develop a productive and profitable activity. Over the course of time, immigration has indeed yielded Lebanese "commercial networks" throughout the world.[12]

The list below contains approximate figures for people of Lebanese descent by country of residence, largely taken from the iLoubnan diaspora map.[13] Additional reliable cites have been provided where possible. Additional estimates have been included where they can be cited; where applicable, these are used in place of the iLoubnan figures. The Figure below uses the data from the list and calculates the amount of lebanese residents as a percentage of the total population of the respective country.

5,800,000;[13] according to a research conducted by IBGE in 2008, covering only the states of Amazonas, Paraíba, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso and Distrito Federal, 0.9% of white Brazilian respondents said they had family origins in the Middle East[8]

The Lebanese government increasingly sees the diaspora as a critical resource for investment and new immigrants. A 2016 television ad tried to entice Lebanese in the United States to move to Lebanon to help improve the standard of living.[49]

The Lebanese government launched the DiasporaID program in August 2017 to better connect Lebanese abroad to Lebanon itself. Funding for the project was provided by USAID with an objective of improving foreign investment in Lebanon.[50]

On August 8, 2017, Lebanese President Michel Aoun advocated children of Lebanese in the diaspora take on Lebanese citizenship during a speech to the Maronite Diaspora Institution at Baabda Palace.[51]

1.
Spanish language
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Spanish —also called Castilian —is a Romance language that originated in the Castile region of Spain, with hundreds of millions of native speakers around the world. It is usually considered the worlds second-most spoken native language after Mandarin Chinese and it is one of the few languages to use inverted question and exclamation marks. Spanish is a part of the Ibero-Romance group of languages, which evolved from several dialects of Vulgar Latin in Iberia after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century. Beginning in the early 16th century, Spanish was taken to the colonies of the Spanish Empire, most notably to the Americas, as well as territories in Africa, Oceania, around 75% of modern Spanish is derived from Latin. Greek has also contributed substantially to Spanish vocabulary, especially through Latin, Spanish vocabulary has been in contact from an early date with Arabic, having developed during the Al-Andalus era in the Iberian Peninsula. With around 8% of its vocabulary being Arabic in origin, this language is the second most important influence after Latin and it has also been influenced by Basque as well as by neighboring Ibero-Romance languages. It also adopted words from languages such as Gothic language from the Visigoths in which many Spanish names and surnames have a Visigothic origin. Spanish is one of the six languages of the United Nations. It is the language in the world by the number of people who speak it as a mother tongue, after Mandarin Chinese. It is estimated more than 437 million people speak Spanish as a native language. Spanish is the official or national language in Spain, Equatorial Guinea, speakers in the Americas total some 418 million. In the European Union, Spanish is the tongue of 8% of the population. Spanish is the most popular second language learned in the United States, in 2011 it was estimated by the American Community Survey that of the 55 million Hispanic United States residents who are five years of age and over,38 million speak Spanish at home. The Spanish Constitution of 1978 uses the term castellano to define the language of the whole Spanish State in contrast to las demás lenguas españolas. Article III reads as follows, El castellano es la lengua española oficial del Estado, las demás lenguas españolas serán también oficiales en las respectivas Comunidades Autónomas. Castilian is the official Spanish language of the State, the other Spanish languages as well shall be official in their respective Autonomous Communities. The Spanish Royal Academy, on the hand, currently uses the term español in its publications. Two etymologies for español have been suggested, the Spanish Royal Academy Dictionary derives the term from the Provençal word espaignol, and that in turn from the Medieval Latin word Hispaniolus, from—or pertaining to—Hispania

2.
French language
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French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages, French has evolved from Gallo-Romance, the spoken Latin in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues doïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to Frances past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, a French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French. French is a language in 29 countries, most of which are members of la francophonie. As of 2015, 40% of the population is in Europe, 35% in sub-Saharan Africa, 15% in North Africa and the Middle East, 8% in the Americas. French is the fourth-most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union, 1/5 of Europeans who do not have French as a mother tongue speak French as a second language. As a result of French and Belgian colonialism from the 17th and 18th century onward, French was introduced to new territories in the Americas, Africa, most second-language speakers reside in Francophone Africa, in particular Gabon, Algeria, Mauritius, Senegal and Ivory Coast. In 2015, French was estimated to have 77 to 110 million native speakers, approximately 274 million people are able to speak the language. The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie estimates 700 million by 2050, in 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked French the third most useful language for business, after English and Standard Mandarin Chinese. Under the Constitution of France, French has been the language of the Republic since 1992. France mandates the use of French in official government publications, public education except in specific cases, French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland and is spoken in the western part of Switzerland called Romandie, of which Geneva is the largest city. French is the language of about 23% of the Swiss population. French is also a language of Luxembourg, Monaco, and Aosta Valley, while French dialects remain spoken by minorities on the Channel Islands. A plurality of the worlds French-speaking population lives in Africa and this number does not include the people living in non-Francophone African countries who have learned French as a foreign language. Due to the rise of French in Africa, the total French-speaking population worldwide is expected to reach 700 million people in 2050, French is the fastest growing language on the continent. French is mostly a language in Africa, but it has become a first language in some urban areas, such as the region of Abidjan, Ivory Coast and in Libreville. There is not a single African French, but multiple forms that diverged through contact with various indigenous African languages, sub-Saharan Africa is the region where the French language is most likely to expand, because of the expansion of education and rapid population growth

3.
English language
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English /ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/ is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now the global lingua franca. Named after the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes that migrated to England, English is either the official language or one of the official languages in almost 60 sovereign states. It is the third most common language in the world, after Mandarin. It is the most widely learned second language and a language of the United Nations, of the European Union. It is the most widely spoken Germanic language, accounting for at least 70% of speakers of this Indo-European branch, English has developed over the course of more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the century, are called Old English. Middle English began in the late 11th century with the Norman conquest of England, Early Modern English began in the late 15th century with the introduction of the printing press to London and the King James Bible, and the start of the Great Vowel Shift. Through the worldwide influence of the British Empire, modern English spread around the world from the 17th to mid-20th centuries, English is an Indo-European language, and belongs to the West Germanic group of the Germanic languages. Most closely related to English are the Frisian languages, and English, Old Saxon and its descendent Low German languages are also closely related, and sometimes Low German, English, and Frisian are grouped together as the Ingvaeonic or North Sea Germanic languages. Modern English descends from Middle English, which in turn descends from Old English, particular dialects of Old and Middle English also developed into a number of other English languages, including Scots and the extinct Fingallian and Forth and Bargy dialects of Ireland. English is classified as a Germanic language because it shares new language features with other Germanic languages such as Dutch, German and these shared innovations show that the languages have descended from a single common ancestor, which linguists call Proto-Germanic. Through Grimms law, the word for foot begins with /f/ in Germanic languages, English is classified as an Anglo-Frisian language because Frisian and English share other features, such as the palatalisation of consonants that were velar consonants in Proto-Germanic. The earliest form of English is called Old English or Anglo-Saxon, in the fifth century, the Anglo-Saxons settled Britain and the Romans withdrew from Britain. England and English are named after the Angles, Old English was divided into four dialects, the Anglian dialects, Mercian and Northumbrian, and the Saxon dialects, Kentish and West Saxon. Through the educational reforms of King Alfred in the century and the influence of the kingdom of Wessex. The epic poem Beowulf is written in West Saxon, and the earliest English poem, Modern English developed mainly from Mercian, but the Scots language developed from Northumbrian. A few short inscriptions from the period of Old English were written using a runic script. By the sixth century, a Latin alphabet was adopted, written with half-uncial letterforms and it included the runic letters wynn ⟨ƿ⟩ and thorn ⟨þ⟩, and the modified Latin letters eth ⟨ð⟩, and ash ⟨æ⟩

4.
Lebanese Arabic
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Due to multilingualism among Lebanese people, it is not uncommon for Lebanese people to mix Lebanese Arabic, French, and English languages into their daily speech. Lebanese Arabic shares many features with modern varieties of Arabic. Lebanese Arabic, like many other spoken Levantine Arabic varieties, has a structure very different from that of Modern Standard Arabic. While Standard Arabic can have only one consonant at the beginning of a syllable, after which a vowel must follow, morphology, simpler, without any mood and case markings. Number, verbal agreement regarding number and gender is required for all subjects, vocabulary, many borrowings from other languages, most prominently Syriac-Aramaic, western-Aramaic Ottoman Turkish, French, and Greek, as well as, less significantly, from English. About 50 percent of the Lebanese grammatical structure is due to Aramaic influences, the following example demonstrates two differences between Standard Arabic and Spoken Lebanese Arabic, Coffee, Literary Arabic, /ˈqahwa/, Lebanese Arabic. The voiceless uvular plosive /q/ corresponds to a stop. As a general rule of thumb, the uvular plosive /q/ is replaced with glottal stop. This debuccalization of /q/ is a feature shared with Syrian Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, the use of /q/ by Druze is particularly prominent in the mountains and less so in urban areas. In urban dialects has replaced /aj/ and sometimes medial /aː/, and has replaced final /i/ making it indistinguishable with tāʾ marbūtah, also, has replaced /aw/, replacing some short /u/s. In singing, the /aj/, /aw/ and medial /aː/ are usually maintained for artistic values, /t/ and /θ/ are both pronounced. The phonemes /p, v/ are not native to Lebanese Arabic and are found in loanwords. They are sometimes realized as and respectively, the velar stop /g/ occurs in native Lebanese Arabic words but is generally restricted to loanwords. It is realized as by some speakers and this table shows the correspondence between general Lebanese Arabic vowel phonemes and their counterpart realizations in Modern Standard Arabic and other Levantine Arabic varieties. Widely used regional varieties include, Beiruti varieties, further distributed according to neighborhoods, northern varieties, further distributed regionally, the most notable ones being Tripoli variety, Zgharta variety, Bsharri variety, Koura variety, Akkar variety. Southern varieties, with notable ones being the Tyre and Bint Jbeil varieties, beqaa varieties, further divided into varieties, the notable ones being Zahlé and Baalbek-Hermel varieties. Mount Lebanon varieties, further divided into regional varieties like the Keserwan variety, Lebanese Arabic is rarely written, except in novels where a dialect is implied or in some types of poetry that do not use classical Arabic at all. Lebanese Arabic is also utilized in many Lebanese songs, theatrical pieces, local television and radio productions, formal publications in Lebanon, such as newspapers, are typically written in Modern Standard Arabic, French, or English

5.
Armenian language
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The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenians. Like Hellenic Greek, it has its own branch in the language tree. It is the language of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. It has historically been spoken throughout the Armenian Highlands and today is spoken in the Armenian diaspora. Armenian has its own script, the Armenian alphabet, introduced in 405 AD by Mesrop Mashtots. Armenian is an independent branch of the Indo-European languages and it is of interest to linguists for its distinctive phonological developments within that family. Armenian exhibits more satemization than centumization, although it is not classified as belonging to either of these subgroups, Armenia was a monolingual country by the 2nd century BC at the latest. Its language has a literary history, with a 5th-century Bible translation as its oldest surviving text. Its vocabulary has been influenced by Western Middle Iranian languages, particularly Parthian, and to an extent by Greek, Persian. There are two standardized modern literary forms, Eastern Armenian and Western Armenian, with which most contemporary dialects are mutually intelligible and he is also credited by some with the creation of the Caucasian Albanian alphabet. In The Anabasis, Xenophon describes many aspects of Armenian village life and he relates that the Armenian people spoke a language that to his ear sounded like the language of the Persians. W. M. However, unlike shared innovations, the retention of archaisms is not considered conclusive evidence of a period of common isolated development. Some of the terms he gives admittedly have an Akkadian or Sumerian provenance, loan words from Iranian languages, along with the other ancient accounts such as that of Xenophon above, initially led linguists to erroneously classify Armenian as an Iranian language. Scholars such as Paul de Lagarde and F. Müller believed that the similarities between the two meant that Iranian and Armenian were the same language. The distinctness of Armenian was recognized when philologist Heinrich Hübschmann used the method to distinguish two layers of Iranian loans from the older Armenian vocabulary. Meillets hypothesis became popular in the wake of his Esquisse, eric P. Hamp supports the Graeco-Armenian thesis, anticipating even a time when we should speak of Helleno-Armenian. Nevertheless, as Fortson comments, by the time we reach our earliest Armenian records in the 5th century AD, graeco--Aryan is a hypothetical clade within the Indo-European family, ancestral to the Greek language, the Armenian language, and the Indo-Iranian languages. Graeco-Aryan unity would have divided into Proto-Greek and Proto-Indo-Iranian by the mid-third millennium BC

6.
Christianity in Lebanon
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Christianity in Lebanon has a long and continuous history. Biblical Scriptures purport that Peter and Paul evangelized to the Phoenicians, the spread of Christianity in Mount Lebanon was very slow where paganism persisted in mountaintop strongholds. A2015 study estimates some 2,500 Lebanese Christians have Muslim ancestry, before the Christian faith reached the territory of Lebanon, Jesus had traveled to its southern parts near Tyre where the scripture tells us that he cured a possessed Canaanite child. Christianity in Lebanon is almost as old as gentile Christian faith itself, early reports relate the possibility that Saint Peter himself was the one who evangelized the Phoenicians whom he affiliated to the ancient patriarchate of Antioch. Paul also preached in Lebanon, having lingered with the early Christians in Tyre, even though Christianity was introduced to Lebanon after the first century AD, its spread was very slow, particularly in the mountainous areas where paganism was still unyielding. By faith, liturgy, rite, religious books and heritage, nevertheless, the influence of the Maronite establishment spread throughout the Lebanese mountains and became a considerable feudal force. The existence of the Maronites was largely ignored by the world until the Crusades. In the 16th century, the Maronite Church adopted the catechism of the Catholic Church, moreover, Rome dispatched Franciscan, Dominican and later Jesuit missionaries to Lebanon to secure the conversion of the Maronites to Catholicism. Due to their turbulent history, the Maronites formed a secluded identity in the mountains and valleys of Lebanon and they identify themselves as a unique community whose religion and culture is distinct from the predominantly Muslim Arab world. The Maronites played a part in the definition of and the creation of the state of Lebanon. With the creation of the state of Lebanon, Arabism was overcome by Lebanism, according to the pact, the President of the Lebanese republic shall always be a Maronite. Furthermore, the pact also states that Lebanon is a state with an Arab face, the number of Christians in Lebanon has been disputed for many years. There has been no census in Lebanon since 1932. Christians were still half the country by mid-century, but by 1985, many argue over the percentage and population of Christians in Lebanon. One estimate of the Christian share of Lebanons population as of 2012 is 40. 5%, therefore, the country has the largest percentage of Christians of all the Middle Eastern nations. The Maronite Church, a church in communion with the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest and politically most active, the Eastern Orthodox Church forms the second largest proportion of Lebanese Christians. The Armenian Apostolic Church also forms a portion of the Christian population in Lebanon. Other branches of Christianity, including the Melkite Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church loyal to the Pope, are common in Lebanon

7.
Maronite Christianity in Lebanon
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Maronite Christianity in Lebanon refers to adherents of the Maronite Church in Lebanon, which is the largest Christian denomination in the country. The Lebanese Maronite Christians are believed to constitute about 22% of the population of Lebanon. Lebanons constitution was intended to guarantee representation for each of the nations ethno-religious groups. Under the terms of an agreement known as the National Pact between the various political and religious leaders of Lebanon, the president of the country must be a Maronite. There is no distinct pattern that shows that one community carries significantly more Phoenician than another, according to Catholic tradition, the first Bishop was Saint Peter before his travels to Rome. The third Bishop was the Apostolic Father Ignatius of Antioch, Antioch became one of the five original Patriarchates after Constantine recognized Christianity. Many of his followers also lived a monastic lifestyle, following the death of Maron in 410 AD, his disciples built a monastery in his memory and formed the nucleus of the Maronite Church. The Maronites held fast to the beliefs of the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD, when the Monophysites of Antioch slew 350 monks, the Maronites sought refuge in the mountains of Lebanon. Correspondence concerning the event brought the Maronites papal and orthodox recognition, a monastery was built around the shrine of St. Maro after the Council of Chalcedon. This doctrine, monothelitism, was meant as a compromise between supporters of Chalcedon, such as the Maronites, and opponents, such as the Jacobites, monothelitism was actually endorsed by Pope Honorius I of the Catholic Church to win back the Monophysites. Instead, this new doctrine caused greater controversy, and was declared a heresy at the Sixth Ecumenical Council in 680-681, in 687 AD, the Emperor Justinian II agreed to evacuate many thousand Maronites from Lebanon and settle them elsewhere. The chaos and utter depression which followed led the Maronites to elect their first Patriarch, John Maroun and this, however, was seen as a usurpation by the Orthodox churches. This situation was mirrored in other Christian communities in the Byzantine Empire, the Maronites belong to the Maronite Syriac Church of Antioch is an Eastern Catholic Syriac Church that had affirmed its communion with Rome since 1180 A. D. The Maronite Patriarch is traditionally seated in Bkerke, north of Beirut, Lebanese Maronite Christians are concentrated in the north Beirut, northern part of Mount Lebanon Governorate, southern part of North Governorate, parts of Beqaa Governorate and South Governorate. The last Census in Lebanon in 1932 put the numbers of Maronites at 29% of the population, a study done by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1985 put the numbers of Maronites at 16% of the population. Lebanese Maronites constitutes 21% of Lebanons population of approximately 4.3 million, which means they amount to 903,000 as of 2012

8.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Lebanon
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Lebanese Greek Orthodox Christians are believed to constitute about 8% of the total population of Lebanon. Most of the Greek Orthodox Christians live either in the city of Beirut, the Southeast. The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch adheres to the Eastern Orthodox Church and they are the second largest Christian denomination within Christianity in Lebanon. Historically, these churches out of the four Eastern Patriarchates of the original five major episcopal sees of the Roman Empire which included Rome. The final split between Rome and the Eastern Churches, who came to oppose the views and claims of the Popes of Rome, took place in 1054. Doctrinally, the point at issue between the Eastern and Western Churches is that of the procession of the Holy Spirit and there are also divergences in ritual. The Greek Orthodox include many free-holders, and the community is dominated by large landowners than other Christian denominations. In present-day Lebanon, the Eastern Orthodox Christians have become increasingly urbanized, many are found in the Southeast and North, near Tripoli. They are highly educated and well-versed in finance, the Greek Orthodox church has become known in the past for its pan-Arab orientation, possibly because it exists in various parts of the Arab world. The Greek Orthodox church has served as a bridge between Lebanese Christians and the Arab countries. Lebanese Greek Orthodox Christians have a long and continuous association with Eastern Orthodox Churches in European countries like Greece, Cyprus, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Romania. Ras Beirut, Tripoli, El Mina, Chekka, Bourj Hammoud, Zahleh, Halba, Batroun, Bikfaya, Baskinta, Antelias, Ras el Matn, Aley, Bechamoun, Machgara, Hasbaya, Kfeir, Niha Bekaa, Rit, and others. Achrafieh was once ruled by seven prominent Greek Orthodox Christian families that formed Beiruts High Society for centuries, Trad, Geday, Fernaine, Araman, Bustros, Sursock, Fayyad, and Tueini

9.
Melkite Christianity in Lebanon
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The Lebanese Melkite Christians are believed to constitute about 5% of the total population of Lebanon. The Melkite Christians live primarily in the central and eastern parts of the country, members of this rite are concentrated in Beirut, Zahlah, and the suburbs of Sidon. They have a higher level of education than other denominations. Melkite Christians have been able to strike a balance between their openness to the Arab world and their identification with the West, Melkite Christians are estimated to constitute 5% of Lebanons population of approximately 4.3 million, which means they amount to 215,000

10.
Protestantism in Lebanon
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Protestantism in Lebanon is a Christian minority in an overwhelmingly Muslim and Christian country. Most Protestants in Lebanon were converted by missionaries, primarily English and American and they are divided into a number of denominations, including Presbyterian, Congregational, and Anglican. They are perceived by some to number disproportionately highly among the middle class. The Lebanese Protestant Christians constitute nearly 1 percent of the population and live primarily in Beirut

11.
Armenian Apostolic Church
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The Armenian Apostolic Church is the national church of the Armenian people. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christian communities, Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion, in the early 4th century. The church claims to have originated in the missions of Apostles Bartholomew and it is sometimes referred to as the Armenian Orthodox Church or Gregorian Church. It is also known as the Armenian Church. The Armenian Church believes apostolic succession through the apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus, according to legend, the latter of the two apostles is said to have cured Abgar V of Edessa of leprosy with the Image of Edessa, leading to his conversion in 30 AD. After this, Bartholomew came to Armenia, bringing a portrait of the virgin Mary, Bartholomew then converted the sister of Sanatruk, who once again martyred a female relative and the apostle who converted her. Both apostles ordained native bishops before their execution, and some other Armenians had been ordained outside of Armenia by James the Just. According to Eusebius and Tertullian, Armenian Christians were persecuted by kings Axidares, Khosrov I, and Tiridates III, ancient Armenias adoption of Christianity as a state religion has been referred to by Nina Garsoïan as probably the most crucial step in its history. This conversion distinguished it from its Iranian and Mazdean roots and protected it from further Parthian influence, other scholars as well have stated that the acceptance of Christianity by the Arsacid-Armenian rulers was partly in defiance of the Sassanids. When King Trdat IV made Christianity the state religion of Armenia between 301 and 314, it was not a new religion there. It had penetrated the country from at least the third century, Tiridates declared Gregory to be the first Catholicos of the Armenian Church and sent him to Caesarea to be consecrated. Upon his return, Gregory tore down shrines to idols, built churches and monasteries, while meditating in the old capital city of Vagharshapat, Gregory had a vision of Christ descending to the earth and striking it with a hammer. From that spot arose a great Christian temple with a huge cross and he was convinced that God intended him to build the main Armenian church there. With the kings help he did so in accord with his vision and he renamed the city Etchmiadzin, which means the place of the descent of the only-begotten. Initially the Armenian church participated in the church world. Its Catholicos was represented at the First Council of Nicea and the First Council of Constantinople, although unable to attend the Council of Ephesus, the Catholicos Isaac Parthiev sent a message agreeing with its decisions. Christianity was strengthened in Armenia in the 5th century by the translation of the Bible into the Armenian language by the theologian, monk. Before the 5th century, Armenians had a language

12.
Armenian Catholic
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The Armenian Catholic Church is one of the Eastern particular churches sui iuris of the Catholic Church. The Armenian Catholic Church is regulated by Eastern canon law, namely the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, during the Crusades, the church of the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia entered into a union with the Catholic Church, an attempt that did not last. The union was later re-established during the Council of Florence in 1439, some Armenians converted to Roman Catholicism in the absence of any specific Armenian Catholic Church. In Medieval China, Armenians in China were converted to Catholicism by John of Montecorvino in Beijing, in 1740, Abraham-Pierre I Ardzivian, who had earlier become a Catholic, was elected as the patriarch of Sis. Two years later Pope Benedict XIV formally established the Armenian Catholic Church, in 1749, the Armenian Catholic Church built a convent in Bzoummar, Lebanon. During the Armenian Genocide in 1915–1918 the Church scattered among neighboring countries, mainly Lebanon, the church belongs to the group of Eastern Rite Catholic churches and uses the Armenian Rite and the Armenian language in its liturgy. The Armenian Rite is also used by both the Armenian Apostolic Church and by a significant number of Eastern Catholic Christians in the Republic of Georgia and it is patterned after the directives of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, founder and patron saint of the Armenian Church. Unlike the Byzantine Church, churches of the Armenian rite are usually devoid of icons and have a curtain concealing the priest and the altar from the people during parts of the liturgy. The use of bishops mitre and of unleavened bread is reminiscent of the influence Western missionaries once had both the miaphysite Orthodox Armenians as well as upon the Armenian Rite Catholics. Apart from Armenia, France and North America, sizable Armenian Catholic communities exist in Argentina, Uruguay, Australia, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Armenian Catholics originated in what is today Armenia, Georgia and Eastern Europe. Beginning in the late 1920s, persecution caused many Armenian Catholics to emigrate, the city was not chosen by chance, Most Catholic Armenians live in the northern parts of Armenia. This has become a kind of basis for fence-mending with the coreligionists on the side of the border. Today Catholic Armenians of Samtskhe-Javakhq live together in Akhaltsikhe and in the villages, as well as in the regions of Akhalkalak. The communities in the last two regions, which are rural, are in rather distant areas, but the most important link is the historical memory of Catholicism. Presently, around 1.5 million Armenians live in North America, in the 19th century Catholic Armenians from Western Armenia, mainly from the towns and cities of Karin, Constantinople, Mardin etc. came to the United States seeking employment. At the end of the century, many survivors of the Hamidian Massacres had concentrated in several U. S. cities. Catholic Armenian communities were founded in New Jersey, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles. Catholic Armenian educational organizations were founded in many cities

13.
Syriac Orthodox
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The Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, or Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean. Employing the Divine Liturgy of Saint James with Syriac as its official and liturgical language, the church is led by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch Ignatius Aphrem II since 2014, seated in Bab Tuma, Damascus, Syria. The Syriac Orthodox Church belongs to the Oriental Orthodoxy, a full communion of churches since the schism following the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Around 825, many Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala, India, affirmed allegiance to the Syriac Orthodox Church, however, another part of clergy gained permission from the Ottoman authorities in Istanbul to reestablish the Syriac Orthodox Church soon after. The churchs present circa 5 million members are divided in 26 archdioceses and its original area is present-day Syria, Turkey, or Iraq. The churchs Levantine ethno-religious identity has been a matter of controversy since the 20th century, many refer to these as ethnic Syriacs or Assyrians, while other advocate the term Arameans. The Syriac Orthodox Church participates in discussions, being a member of the World Council of Churches since 1960. Due mainly to persecution throughout the centuries, a diaspora has spread from the Levant throughout the world, notably in Sweden, Germany, United States, Canada, Guatemala, Brazil, and Australia. The Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch claims the status as the most ancient Christian church in the world, according to Saint Luke, The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. As Jewish Christianity originated at Jerusalem, so gentile Christianity started at Antioch, then the center of the Hellenistic East, with Peter. 70 and 130, were out from Jerusalem and Palestine into Syria. When Saint Peter left Antioch, Evodios and Ignatius presided over the Patriarchate of Antioch, because of the significance attributed to Saint Ignatius in the Syriac Orthodox Church, almost all of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchs since 1293 have been named Ignatius. Until 498, this church accepted the authority of the Patriarch of Antioch. The church also maintained a smaller church under a Catholicos, known by the title Maphryono. The Christological controversies that followed the Council of Chalcedon in 451 resulted in a struggle for the Patriarchate between those who accepted and those who rejected the Council. In 518, Patriarch Severus of Antioch was exiled from the city of Antioch, on account of many historical upheavals and consequent hardships which the church had to undergo, the Patriarchate was transferred to different monasteries in Mesopotamia for centuries. In about 1160 its seat was transferred from Antioch to the Mor Hananyo Monastery, in southeastern Turkey near Mardin and they reestablished themselves in Homs, Syria due to an adverse political situation in Turkey. In 1959 it was transferred to Damascus, where it currently resides

14.
Syriac Catholic
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Being one of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, the Syriac Catholic Church has full autonomy and is a self-governed sui iuris Church, while in full communion with the Holy See of Rome. Mor Ignatius Joseph III Younan became patriarch in 2009, the Patriarch of Antioch of this church has the title of Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Syrians. and resides in Beirut, Lebanon. Jesuit and Capuchin missionaries began to work among the Syriac Orthodox in Aleppo in 1626 and this provoked a split in the community, and after Akijan’s death in 1677 two opposing patriarchs were elected, one being the uncle of the other, representing the two parties. But when the Catholic Patriarch died in 1702, this very brief line of Catholic Patriarchs upon the Syriac Churchs See of Antioch died out with him, later, in 1782, the Syriac Orthodox Holy Synod elected Metropolitan Michael Jarweh of Aleppo as Patriarch. Shortly after he was enthroned, he declared himself Catholic and in unity with the Pope of Rome, since Jarweh there has been an unbroken succession of Syriac Catholic Patriarchs. The Syriac Catholic Church was originally part of the Syriac Orthodox Church and its scholarly mission in both languages, the Greek and Syriac was to provide the world and the Universal Church with eminent saints, scholars, hermits, martyrs and pastors. Among these great people are Saint Ephrem, Doctor of the Church, during the Crusades Catholicism began to have an influence over the local Christians in the region, and there were many examples of warm relations between Catholic and Syriac Orthodox bishops. In 1626 Jesuit and Capuchin missionaries began to proselytize among the Syriac Orthodox faithful at Aleppo, so in 1667, when the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate had fallen vacant, the Catholic party was able to elect one of its own, Andrew Akijan as Patriarch of the Syriac Church. This provoked a split in the community, and after Akijan’s death in 1677 two opposing patriarchs were elected, with the Pro-Catholic one being the uncle of Andrew Akijan. However, when the Catholic Patriarch died in 1702, this very brief line of Catholic Patriarchs upon the Syriac Churchs See of Antioch died out with him. Due to this there were periods when no Syriac Catholic bishops were functioning, so a Patriarch could not be elected. However, in 1782, the Syriac Orthodox Holy Synod elected Metropolitan Michael Jarweh of Aleppo as Patriarch, shortly after he was enthroned, he declared himself Catholic and in unity with the Pope of Rome. After this declaration Jarweh took refuge in Lebanon and built the still-extant monastery of Our Lady at Sharfeh, since Jarweh there has been an unbroken succession of Syriac Catholic Patriarchs, which is known as the Ignatius Line. In 1829 the Ottoman government granted recognition to the Armenian Catholic Church. Meanwhile, the residence of the Patriarch was shifted to Aleppo in 1831, however, after the Massacre of Aleppo in 1850, the Patriarchal See was shifted to Mardin in 1854. After becoming officially recognized by the Ottoman Government in 1845 the Syriac Catholic Church expanded rapidly, however, The expansion was ended by the persecutions and massacres that took place during the Assyrian genocide of World War I. After that, the Syriac Catholic Patriarchal See was moved to Beirut away from Mardin, in addition to its see in Beirut, The patriarchal seminary and printing house are located at Sharfeh Monastery in Sharfeh, Lebanon. As of 2013 the Patriarch of Antioch was Moran Mor Ignatius Joseph III Younan, resident in Beirut, the Syriac Catholic Patriarch always takes the name Ignatius in addition to another name

15.
Islam in Lebanon
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Islam in Lebanon is followed by 59. 5% of the countrys total population, Shias make up 27%, Twelvers are the predominant Shia group, followed by Alawites and Ismailis. Sunnis make up also 27%, Sunnis are mainly of the Shafii madhhab with pockets of Hanafi, several large Sufi orders are active in the country, including the Naqshbandi tariqa, and Qadiriyya. The number of Muslims in Lebanon has been disputed for many years, there has been no official census in Lebanon since 1932. The last census in Lebanon in 1932 put the numbers of Muslims at 49% of the population, a study done by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1985 put the numbers of Muslims at 75% of the population. Lebanese Muslims are divided into many branches like Shiites, Sunnites, Druze, Alawites, the Lebanese Shia Muslims are around 27%–29% of the total population. Twelvers are the predominant Shia group, followed by Alawites and Ismailis, the Speaker of Parliament is always a Shia Muslim, as it is the only high post that Shias are eligible for. The Shiites are largely concentrated in northern and western Beqaa, Southern Lebanon, in south Beirut, Tripoli, the Lebanese Sunni Muslims constitute also about 27%–29% of the total population. The Lebanese Druze constitute 5% of the population and can be primarily in Mount Lebanon. Which under the Lebanese political division the Druze community is designated as one of the five Lebanese Muslim communities, religion in Lebanon Secularism in Lebanon Christianity in Lebanon Shia Islam in Lebanon Sunni Islam in Lebanon Druze in Lebanon

16.
Shia Islam in Lebanon
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Shia Islam in Lebanon has a history of more than a millennium. According to CIA study, Lebanese Shia Muslims constitute 27% of Lebanons population of approximately 4.3 million, according to other sources the Lebanese Shia Muslims constitute approximately 40% of the entire population. Most of its adherents live in the northern and western area of the Beqaa Valley, Southern Lebanon, the great majority of Shia Muslims in Lebanon are Twelvers, with an Alawite minority numbering in the tens of thousands in north Lebanon. Few Ismailis remain in Lebanon today, though the quasi-Muslim Druze sect, there is no distinct pattern that shows that one community carries significantly more Phoenician than another. Haplogroup J2 is also a significant marker in throughout Lebanon and this marker found in many inhabitants of Lebanon, regardless of religion, signals pre-Arab descendants, including the Phoenicians. These genetic studies show us there is no significant differences between the Muslims and non-Muslims of Lebanon, genealogical DNA testing has shown that 24. 8% of Lebanese Muslims belong to the Y-DNA haplogroup J1. Although there is common ancestral roots, these show a very small difference was found between Muslims and non-Muslims in Lebanon, of whom only 17. 1% have this haplotype. On the other hand, only 4. 7% of all Lebanese Muslims belong to haplogroup R1b, many historians claim that Shiism entered Lebanon in the 7th century A. D. with the emergence and growth of Islam. The emergence of the Lebanese Shia community began with the entrance of the companion of the Prophet. After having been banished from Medina by the Umayyads for opposing their reign, Abu Dharr moved into Lebanon, there are two Shia shrines to Abu Dhar in Lebanon — in Sarepta and Meiss al-Jabal. A Shia emirate was established in Keserwan a mountain overlooking the coastal area north of Beirut. The growth of Shia Islam in Lebanon stopped around the thirteenth century. Keserwan began to lose its Shia character under the Assaf Sunni Turkomans whom the Mamluks appointed as overlords of the area in 1306, when in 1605 the Druze emir Fakhr al-Din Man II took over Kesrewan, he entrusted its management to the Khazin Maronite family. The Khazins gradually colonized Kesrewan, purchasing Shia lands and founding churches and monasteries and they emerged as the predominant authority in the region at the expense of the Shia Hamedeh clan. By the end of the century, the Khazins owned Kesrewan. During the time of the Ottoman Empire the Shias suffered religious persecution and were forced to flee their homes in search of refuge in the South. One example is the Lebanese city of Tripoli, which had formerly had a Shia Muslim majority, many Lebanese Shia are rumored to have concealed their religious sect and acted as Sunni Muslims in fear of persecution. It is also rumored that some of the Shia permanently adopted the Sunni Muslim sect, the Ottomans and Druze were well allied and a Druze family seized power of Tripoli

17.
Sunni Islam in Lebanon
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Sunni Islam in Lebanon has a history of more than a millennium. According to CIA study, Lebanese Sunni Muslims have followers who constitutes 27% of Lebanons population of approximately 4.3 million, the Lebanese Sunni Muslims are concentrated in west Beirut, Tripoli, Sidon and in the countryside of the Akkar. There is no distinct pattern that shows that one community carries significantly more Phoenician than another, genealogical DNA testing has shown that 24. 8% of Lebanese Muslims belong to the Y-DNA haplogroup J1. Although there is common ancestral roots, these studies show some difference was found between Muslims and non-Muslims in Lebanon, of whom only 17. 1% have this haplotype. On the other hand, only 4. 7% of all Lebanese Muslims belong to haplogroup R1b, haplogroup J2 is also a significant marker in throughout Lebanon. This marker found in inhabitants of Lebanon, regardless of religion, signals pre-Arab descendants. These genetic studies show us there is no significant differences between the Muslims and non-Muslims of Lebanon, the Sunnis of Lebanon have close ties with Saudi Arabia, which supports them financially. Moreover, Tripoli, the stronghold of the Lebanese Sunnis, is also the birthplace of Lebanons Salafi Movement, Sunni Muslims and Alawites have been in conflict with each other for centuries. The Alawites of the Levant were oppressed by the Sunni Ottoman Empire, after independence from France, their co-religionists the Assad family came to power in Syria in 1970. The deadliest exchange took place last June, when seven people were killed and more than 60 wounded, after Sunni Muslims staged a protest against the Assad regime. At the best of times, the Alawites are regarded by Sunnis as heretics, at times of tension, the last census in Lebanon in 1932 put the numbers of Sunnis at 22% of the population. A study done by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1985 put the numbers of Sunnis at 27% of the population, Lebanese Sunni Muslims constitutes 27% of Lebanons population of approximately 4.3 million, which means they amount to 1,160,00 as of 2012. Emir Khaled Chehab, former Prime Minister of Lebanon and Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon

18.
Alawites in Lebanon
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Shia Islam in Lebanon has a history of more than a millennium. According to CIA study, Lebanese Shia Muslims constitute 27% of Lebanons population of approximately 4.3 million, according to other sources the Lebanese Shia Muslims constitute approximately 40% of the entire population. Most of its adherents live in the northern and western area of the Beqaa Valley, Southern Lebanon, the great majority of Shia Muslims in Lebanon are Twelvers, with an Alawite minority numbering in the tens of thousands in north Lebanon. Few Ismailis remain in Lebanon today, though the quasi-Muslim Druze sect, there is no distinct pattern that shows that one community carries significantly more Phoenician than another. Haplogroup J2 is also a significant marker in throughout Lebanon and this marker found in many inhabitants of Lebanon, regardless of religion, signals pre-Arab descendants, including the Phoenicians. These genetic studies show us there is no significant differences between the Muslims and non-Muslims of Lebanon, genealogical DNA testing has shown that 24. 8% of Lebanese Muslims belong to the Y-DNA haplogroup J1. Although there is common ancestral roots, these show a very small difference was found between Muslims and non-Muslims in Lebanon, of whom only 17. 1% have this haplotype. On the other hand, only 4. 7% of all Lebanese Muslims belong to haplogroup R1b, many historians claim that Shiism entered Lebanon in the 7th century A. D. with the emergence and growth of Islam. The emergence of the Lebanese Shia community began with the entrance of the companion of the Prophet. After having been banished from Medina by the Umayyads for opposing their reign, Abu Dharr moved into Lebanon, there are two Shia shrines to Abu Dhar in Lebanon — in Sarepta and Meiss al-Jabal. A Shia emirate was established in Keserwan a mountain overlooking the coastal area north of Beirut. The growth of Shia Islam in Lebanon stopped around the thirteenth century. Keserwan began to lose its Shia character under the Assaf Sunni Turkomans whom the Mamluks appointed as overlords of the area in 1306, when in 1605 the Druze emir Fakhr al-Din Man II took over Kesrewan, he entrusted its management to the Khazin Maronite family. The Khazins gradually colonized Kesrewan, purchasing Shia lands and founding churches and monasteries and they emerged as the predominant authority in the region at the expense of the Shia Hamedeh clan. By the end of the century, the Khazins owned Kesrewan. During the time of the Ottoman Empire the Shias suffered religious persecution and were forced to flee their homes in search of refuge in the South. One example is the Lebanese city of Tripoli, which had formerly had a Shia Muslim majority, many Lebanese Shia are rumored to have concealed their religious sect and acted as Sunni Muslims in fear of persecution. It is also rumored that some of the Shia permanently adopted the Sunni Muslim sect, the Ottomans and Druze were well allied and a Druze family seized power of Tripoli

19.
Druze in Lebanon
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Druze in Lebanon refers to adherents of the Druze faith, an ethnoreligious esoteric group originating from the Near East who self identify as unitarians. The Lebanese Druze people are believed to constitute about 5% of the population of Lebanon. The Druze, who refer to themselves as al-Muwahhideen, or believers in one God, are concentrated in the rural, mountainous areas east, under the Lebanese political division the Druze community is designated as one of the five Lebanese Muslim communities. Lebanons constitution was intended to guarantee representation for each of the nations ethno-religious groups. Under the terms of an agreement known as the National Pact between the various political and religious leaders of Lebanon, the Chief of the General Staff must be a Druze. The Druze faith is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion that follows the Five Pillars of Islam, however, certain Muslim groups regard them as Rawafid or Deserters of true Islamic faith. However, other sources claim that the Druze faith does not follow the Five Pillars of Islam, fasting during the month of Ramadan, thus, they are not regarded by Muslims as Islamic and are seen as Rawafid or Deserters of true Islamic faith. The Druze beliefs incorporate elements of Ismailism, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, the Druze call themselves Ahl al-Tawhid People of Unitarianism or Monotheism or al-Muwaḥḥidūn. The Druze follow a style of isolation where no conversion is allowed, neither out of, or into. When Druze live among people of religions, they try to blend in, in order to protect their religion. They can pray as Muslims, or as Christians, depending on where they are and this system is apparently changing in modern times, where more security has allowed Druze to be more open about their religious belonging. Before and during the Lebanese Civil War, the Druze were in favor of Pan-Arabism, jumblatts post-2005 position diverged sharply from the tradition of his family. He also accused Damascus of being behind the 1977 assassination of his father, Kamal Jumblatt, the BBC describes Jumblatt as the smartest leader of Lebanons most powerful Druze clan and heir to a leftist political dynasty. The second largest political party supported by Druze is the Lebanese Democratic Party led by Prince Talal Arslan, in May 10,2008 as part of the 2008 Conflict, clashes occurred between Hezbollah forces and Druze militias in their mountain resulting is casualties on both sides. The clashes started in Aytat, near Kayfoun and soon expanded to many spots in Mount Lebanon including Baysur, Shuweifat. Most of the fighting was concentrated on Hill 888, after negotiations a ceasefire was called in from outside the country before Hezbollah could call in artillery support. Releases from Hezbollah leaders in 2016 stated that bombing the mountain with close-range artillery from the South, Hill 888 remains under Hezbollahs banner today with reports of heavy artillery pieces being moved in that can strike any point within the mountain. The Druze, who refer to themselves as al-Muwahhideen, or believers in one God, are concentrated in the rural, mountainous areas east and south of Beirut

20.
History of the Jews in Lebanon
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The history of the Jews in Lebanon deals with the presence of Jews in Lebanon, which stretches back to Biblical times. Following large-scale emigration following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and much more importantly the Lebanese Civil War, many live in Israel, and there are still a thousand or so living in Lebanon. As the latest census in Lebanon was conducted in 1932, there are no statistics available. The Lebanese Jews are traditionally a Sephardi community living mostly in and around Beirut but also in Sidon, but emigration began to increase after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, when Jews began to fear perpetual instability in their country. Israels 1982 invasion and its subsequent occupation of parts of Lebanon, in Beirut, the Jewish quarter of Wadi Abu Jamil suffered devastation as it was situated along the dividing line between the warring Christian and Muslim districts. Paris, New York City, and Geneva, Switzerland are cities where many in the Jewish Lebanese Diaspora have settled, in pre-Biblical times, the region between Gaza and Anatolia was a single cultural unit. Despite the lack of any political authority, the region shared a common language family, religion. During this period, parts of modern Lebanon were under the control of Jerusalem, according to the Hebrew Bible, the territory of the Israelite tribes of Asher and Naphtali extended into present-day Lebanon as far as Sidon in the north. These tribes formed part of the united Kingdom of Israel and then the kingdom of the same name. However, Assyria captured Naphtali in c.732 BCE and deported its population, the New Testament also refers to Jesuss sojourn around Mount Hermon which appears to take for granted Jewish presence in this locality. Some people also add the locality of Qana but the Bible clearly avoids confusion by referring to it as Qana of Galilee, following the Bar Kokhba Revolt against Rome in 132 CE, several Jewish communities were established in Lebanon. Caliph Muawiya established a Jewish community in Tripoli, Lebanon, another was founded in 922 in Sidon. The Jewish Academy was established in Tyre in 1071, in the 19th century, hostility between the Druze and Maronites communities led many Jews to leave Deir al Qamar, with most moving to Hasbaya by the end of the century. In 1911, Jews from Italy, Greece, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt and Iran moved to Beirut, the Jewish community prospered under the French mandate and Greater Lebanon, exerting considerable influence throughout Lebanon and beyond. They allied themselves with Pierre Gemayels Phalangist Party and played a role in the establishment of Lebanon as an independent state. During the Greater Lebanon period, two Jewish newspapers were founded, the Arabic language Al-Alam al-Israili and the French Le Commerce du Levant, the Jewish community of Beirut evolved in three distinct phases. Until 1908, the Jewish population in Beirut grew by migration from the Syrian interior and from other Ottoman cities like Izmir, Salonica, Istanbul, commercial growth in the thriving port-city, consular protection, and relative safety and stability in Beirut all accounted for the Jewish migration. Thus, from a few hundred at the beginning of the 19th century, the Jewish community grew to 2,500 by the end of the century, while the number of Jews grew considerably, the community remained largely unorganized

21.
Lebanese people
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The Lebanese people are the people inhabiting or originating from Lebanon. The religious groups among the Lebanese people are Shias, Sunnis, Maronites, Greek Orthodox, Druze, Melkites, there is a large diaspora in North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Africa. The term may include those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state. As the relative proportion of the various sects is politically sensitive and it is therefore difficult to have an exact demographic analysis of Lebanese society. The largest concentration of people of Lebanese ancestry may be in Brazil having a population of 5. The Lebanese have always traveled the world, many of them settling permanently, descendants of Lebanese Christians make up the majority of Lebanese people worldwide, appearing principally in the diaspora. As the second of two languages of Judaism, Aramaic was also retained as a language in the sphere of religion among Lebanese Jews. Arab influence, nevertheless, applies to all aspects of the modern Lebanese culture. The total population of Lebanese people is estimated at 13-18 million, of these, the vast majority, or 8.6 -14 million, are in the Lebanese diaspora, and approximately 4.3 million in Lebanon itself. There are approximately 4.3 million Lebanese people in Lebanon, in addition to this figure, there are an additional 1 million foreign workers, mainly Syrians and about 400,000 Palestinian refugees in the nation. Lebanon is also a multi-ethnic society, prominent ethnic minorities in the country include the Armenians, the Kurds, the Turks, the Assyrians, the Iranians and many European ethnicities. The Lebanese diaspora consists of approximately 8.6 -14 million, the majority of the Lebanese in the diaspora are Christians, disproportionately so in the Americas where the vast majority reside. An estimate figure show that they represent about 75% of the Lebanese in total, Lebanese abroad are considered rich, educated and influential and over the course of time immigration has yielded Lebanese commercial networks throughout the world. The largest number of Lebanese is to be found in Brazil, in the rest of the Americas, significant communities are found in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela, with almost every other Latin American country having at least a small presence. In Africa, Ghana and the Ivory Coast are home to over 100,000 Lebanese, there are significant Lebanese populations in other countries throughout Western and Central Africa. Australia hosts over 180,000 and Canada 250,000, in the Arab world, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf harbour around 400,000 Lebanese. Lebanese people also can be found in all of the 28 member states of the European Union, more than 2,500 ex-SLA members remain in Israel. They are denoted ** for this purpose, Lebanon has several different main religions

22.
Lebanon
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Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a sovereign state in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, Lebanons location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland facilitated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity. At just 10,452 km2, it is the smallest recognized country on the entire mainland Asian continent, the earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than seven thousand years, predating recorded history. Lebanon was the home of the Canaanites/Phoenicians and their kingdoms, a culture that flourished for over a thousand years. In 64 BC, the region came under the rule of the Roman Empire, in the Mount Lebanon range a monastic tradition known as the Maronite Church was established. As the Arab Muslims conquered the region, the Maronites held onto their religion, however, a new religious group, the Druze, established themselves in Mount Lebanon as well, generating a religious divide that has lasted for centuries. During the Crusades, the Maronites re-established contact with the Roman Catholic Church, the ties they established with the Latins have influenced the region into the modern era. The region eventually was ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1516 to 1918, following the collapse of the empire after World War I, the five provinces that constitute modern Lebanon came under the French Mandate of Lebanon. The French expanded the borders of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, which was populated by Maronites and Druze. Lebanon gained independence in 1943, establishing confessionalism, a unique, foreign troops withdrew completely from Lebanon on 31 December 1946. Lebanon has been a member of the Organisation internationale de la francophonie since 1973, despite its small size, the country has developed a well-known culture and has been highly influential in the Arab world. Before the Lebanese Civil War, the experienced a period of relative calm and renowned prosperity, driven by tourism, agriculture, commerce. At the end of the war, there were efforts to revive the economy. In spite of troubles, Lebanon has the highest Human Development Index and GDP per capita in the Arab world. The name of Mount Lebanon originates from the Phoenician root lbn meaning white, occurrences of the name have been found in different Middle Bronze Age texts from the library of Ebla, and three of the twelve tablets of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The name is recorded in Ancient Egyptian as Rmnn, where R stood for Canaanite L, the name occurs nearly 70 times in the Hebrew Bible, as לְבָנוֹן. The borders of contemporary Lebanon are a product of the Treaty of Sèvres of 1920 and its territory was the core of the Bronze Age Phoenician city-states. After the 7th-century Muslim conquest of the Levant, it was part of the Rashidun, Umyayad, Abbasid Seljuk, with the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Greater Lebanon fell under French mandate in 1920, and gained independence under president Bechara El Khoury in 1943

23.
Religion in Lebanon
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Lebanon has several different main religions. The country has the most religiously diverse society of all states within the Middle East, the main two religions are Islam with 54% of followers and Christianity with 40. 4% of followers. There is also the Druze minority religion, which under the Lebanese political division the Druze community is designated as one of the five Lebanese Muslim communities, no official census has been taken since 1932, reflecting the political sensitivity in Lebanon over confessional balance. The CIA World Factbook estimates the following, Muslim 54%, Christian 40. 5%, Druze 5. 6%, very small numbers of Jews, Bahais, Buddhists, Hindus, Lebanon also has a Jewish population, estimated at less than 100. Legally registered Muslims form around 54% of the population, legally registered Christians form up to 41%. Although Lebanon is a country, family matters such as marriage. Calls for civil marriage are rejected by the religious authorities. Non-religion is not recognized by the state, the Minister of the Interior Ziad Baroud made it possible in 2009 to have the religious sect removed from the Lebanese identity card and this does not, however, deny the religious authorities complete control over civil family issues inside the country. Lebanese Muslims are divided into many sects like Shiites, Sunnites, Druze, Alawites, Lebanese Shiites are concentrated in Southern Lebanon, Baalbek District, Hermel District and the south Beirut. Lebanese Sunnites are mainly residents of the cities, west Beirut, Tripoli. Sunnis are also present in areas including Akkar, Ikleem al Kharoub. Lebanese Druze are concentrated south of Mount Lebanon, in the Hasbaya District, under the Lebanese political division the Druze community is designated as one of the five Lebanese Muslim communities. Lebanese Christians are divided into many sects like Maronites, Orthodox, Melkites, Lebanese Maronites are concentrated in the north Beirut, northern part of Mount Lebanon Governorate, southern part of North Governorate, parts of Beqaa Governorate and South Governorate. Lebanese Orthodox are concentrated in the north Beirut, Lebanese North areas including Zgharta, Bsharre, Koura, Lebanese Protestants are concentrated mainly within the area of Beirut and Greater Beirut. The other Lebanese Christians are concentrated also in areas like in east Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Zahlé. Christianity in Lebanon Islam in Lebanon Secularism in Lebanon Irreligion in Lebanon Freedom of religion in Lebanon Freemasonry in Lebanon Demographics of Lebanon

24.
Lebanese people in Sweden
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The Lebanese people of Sweden are people from Lebanon or those of Lebanese descent who live in the country of Sweden. The majority of Lebanese people came in Sweden in the period between 1970s and 1980s, either escaping the Lebanese Civil War or for economic reasons, the Lebanese people in Sweden have set up their own traditional cultural and political organizations, including the Swedish Lebanese Friendship Association. There is a Lebanese embassy in Stockholm, most Lebanese in Sweden belong to various Christian denominations, but there is also a sizable number of Muslims and also some Druze. List of Lebanese people Arabs in Sweden Lebanese Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden Swedish Lebanese Friendship Association official website

25.
Lebanese people in Greece
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Lebanese people in Greece include immigrants and descendants of immigrants from Lebanon, numbering approximately 30,000 people of Lebanese descent. Migration from Lebanon to Greece started after 1975 during the Lebanese Civil War, most Lebanese came from Koura District in North Lebanon, which is mostly an Greek Orthodox area. During the civil war the number of Lebanese was higher, however after the end of the war returned to Lebanon. Rony Seikaly, Lebanese-born American basketballer, brought up in Athens, Lebanese people in Cyprus, ca.20,000 people Arabs in Greece Greeks in Lebanon

26.
Lebanese Americans
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Lebanese Americans are Americans of Lebanese descent. This includes both those who are native to the United States as well as Lebanese immigrants to America. Lebanese Americans comprise 0. 79% of the American population as of the American Community Survey estimations for year 2007, Lebanese Americans have historically excelled in business, academia, arts and entertainment. Lebanese Americans have had a significant participation in American politics and have had involvement in social and political activism. Lebanese Americans are one of the most successful groups in the United States, Lebanese Americans are more religiously diverse than many other ethnic groups, Lebanon has seen a mingling of many religions including Maronite Catholicism, Greek Orthodoxy, Sunni and Shia Islam. The diversity within the region sprouted from the diaspora of the surrounding countries, there are more Lebanese outside of Lebanon today than within. Lebanese-Americans also tend to be more Republican than other immigrant groups, the first known Lebanese immigrant to the United States was Antonios Bishallany, a Maronite Christian, who arrived in Boston Harbor in 1854. He died in Brooklyn, New York in 1856 on his 29th birthday, large scale Lebanese immigration began in the late 19th century. They settled mainly in Brooklyn and Boston, Massachusetts, while they were marked as Syrians, the vast majority of them were Christians from Mount Lebanon. Upon entering America, many of them worked as peddlers and this wave continued through the 1920s. During the first wave, an estimated 100,000 Lebanese had immigrated to America, many immigrants settled in Northern New Jersey, in towns such as Bloomfield, Paterson, Newark, and Orange. Some immigrants set out west, with Detroit, Michigan and Peoria, Illinois, others bought farms in states such as Texas, South Dakota and Iowa. Large numbers came via the United Kingdom including a number on the ill-fated liner RMS Titanic. The second wave of Lebanese immigration began in the late 1940s and continued through the early 1990s, between 1948 and 1985, over 60,000 Lebanese entered the United States. Most of the Lebanese immigrants during the first and the part of the second waves were Christians. Muslims followed in large numbers beginning in the late 1960s, among Muslims, the Shiite and Sunni communities are the largest. A number of Jews fled Lebanon for the United States due to fears of persecution and this information has been distributed by all American organizations, including the Arab American Institute and the United States census team. Dearborn, Michigan has the highest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States, the rest of Metro Detroit has an even larger population of Lebanese residents

27.
Lebanese Canadians
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Lebanese Canadians are Canadian nationals of Lebanese origin. Lebanese immigration began in 1882. The first Lebanese immigrant to Canada was Abraham Bounadere from Zahley in Lebanon and he came and settled in Montreal. Because of situations within Lebanon and restrictive Canadian laws these immigrants were 90% Christian and these immigrants were mostly economic migrants seeking greater prosperity in the New World. In more recent years this pattern has changed, and large numbers of Lebanese Muslims, immigration laws were liberalized after the Second World War, and immigration steadily increased in the 1950s and 1960s. The greatest influx of Lebanese was during the Lebanese Civil War, Canada was the only western country to set up special programs to enable Lebanese to more easily come to Canada and it set up an office in Cyprus to process Lebanese refugees. Many Lebanese speak French and unlike most other immigrant groups preferred to settle in francophone Montreal than anglophone Toronto, about half the Lebanese-Canadian community is located in and around Montreal, and most Lebanese-Canadian organizations, especially religious ones, are based in that city. At the same time, people of Lebanese origin also made up more than 1% of the populations of both Montreal and Halifax, while the figure was close to 1% in both Calgary and Edmonton. In Toronto, people of Lebanese origin made up less than a half a per cent of the total population, there are also substantial Lebanese populations in Vancouver, Windsor, London, Edmonton, Fredericton and Charlottetown. Media reported that as many as 50,000 of Lebanese-Canadians were in Lebanon during the summer of 2006, during 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict the large number of Canadians led rise to a major effort to evacuate them from the war zone. It also led some pundits to accuse some of those holding Canadian citizenship of being Canadians of convenience, arab Canadians Syrian Canadians The Canadian Encyclopedia - Arabs Lebanese immigration to Montreal history

28.
Lebanese Australians
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Lebanese Australians refers to citizens or permanent residents of Australia of Lebanese ancestry. Lebanon, in both its form as the Lebanese state and its historical form as the region of the Lebanon, has been a source of migrants to Australia for over two centuries. Some 203,139 Australians claim Lebanese ancestry, either alone or in combination with another ancestry, as part of a large scale emigration in the 1870s, numerous Lebanese migrated in great numbers out of Lebanon to various destinations. Most emigrated to Brazil and other Latin American nations, particularly Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, many also went to the United States, Canada, and others to Australia, primarily to the eastern states, and most to New South Wales in particular. Thus, Australias Lebanese population is one of the older established non-English speaking minorities in the country, in 1897 Lebanese store keepers and businesses were accused of fraud by state border Customs officers during Queensland customs prosecution cases. Prior to 1918, Lebanese migrants to Australia were not habitually distinguished from Turks because the area of modern Lebanon was a province of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Administration then passed to the French Mandate for several decades, which ruled it together with what would become Syria, hence, for that period, the Lebanese were not distinguished from Syrians. From 1920, people from Lebanon were granted access to Australian citizenship as the Nationality Act 1920 removed the racial disqualification from the naturalisation laws, by 1947, there were 2000 Lebanese-born in Australia, almost all Christian. The Lebanese born population numbered 5000 in 1971, following the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975-1990, more than 30,000 civil war refugees arrived in Australia. This wave of migrants were often poor and for the first time and this influx of new migrants changed the character of the established Lebanese community in Australia significantly, especially in Sydney where 70% of the Lebanese-born population were concentrated. Lebanese in Sydney have followed a distinctive occupational pattern characterised by high levels of self-employment, in 1901,80 per cent of Lebanese in NSW were concentrated in commercial occupations – in 1947, little had changed, as 60 per cent of Lebanese were either employers or self-employed. Even in the 1991 census, Lebanese men and women were noticeably over-represented as self-employed, the Lebanese in Melbourne have opened restaurants and groceries and Middle Eastern shops and Lebanese bars on Sydney Road which is sometimes called Little Lebanon. Community concern and divisiveness continued in the wake of the 2005 Cronulla riots in Sydney, in 2014, a series of documentaries on Lebanese Australians was presented by SBS under the title Once Upon a Time in Punchbowl. In November 2016, Immigration Minister, Peter Dutton said that it was a mistake of an administration to have brought out Lebanese Muslim immigrants. Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop said Mr Dutton was making a point about those charged with terrorism offences. He made it clear that he respects and appreciates the contribution that the Lebanese community make in Australia. The peak business body is the Australian Lebanese Chamber of Commerce, a Lebanese Film Festival has been launched in Sydney for 2012. This will showcase Lebanese arts and culture through film and becomes the premier showcase of Lebanese cinema outside of Lebanon, most Lebanese people today live outside of Lebanon

29.
Lebanese immigration to Mexico
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Lebanese Mexicans refers to Mexican citizens of Lebanese origin. Although Lebanese Mexicans made up less than 5% of the immigrant population in Mexico during the 1930s. Lebanese influence in Mexican culture can be seen most particularly in food, interethnic marriage in the Lebanese community, regardless of religious affiliation, is very high, most community members have only one parent who has Lebanese ethnicity. As a result of this, the Lebanese community in Mexico shows marked language shift away from Arabic, only a few speak any Arabic, and such knowledge is often limited to a few basic words. Instead the majority, especially those of generations, speak Spanish as first language. Carlos Slim, formerly the richest man in the world, is an example of Lebanese Mexican success in Mexican society, Lebanese immigration to Mexico started in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1892, the first Lebanese arrived in Mexico from Beirut in French ships to Mexican ports such as Puerto Progreso, Veracruz, at that time, Lebanon was not an independent nation, the territory was held by the Ottoman Empire and later became a French protectorate. Roughly 100,000 Arabic-speakers settled in Mexico during this time period and they settled in significant numbers in Nayarit, Puebla, Mexico City and the northern part of the country. During the 1948 Israel-Lebanon war and the Six-Day War, thousands of Lebanese left Lebanon and went to Mexico, although Lebanese people made up less than 5% of the total immigrant population in Mexico during the 1930s, they constituted half of the immigrant economic activity. One Lebanese cultural tradition in Mexico itself is to place colored ribbons to the image of St. Charbel to ask some favor or some miracle, the tradition arose in the Candelaria Church in Merced in the historic center of Mexico City. The immigration of Lebanese to Mexico has influenced Mexican culture, in food, including introducing Kibbeh and Tabbouleh. By 1765, dates, which originated in North Africa and the Middle East, were introduced into Mexico by the Spaniards, the fusion between Arab and Mexican food has highly influenced the Yucatecan cuisine. The majority of Lebanese-Mexicans are Christians who belong to the Maronite, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, the Lebanese initially practiced Catholicism independently from other Mexicans, but the Lebanese learned to speak Spanish, Lebanese-Mexican children quickly joined the countrys religious activities. A few Lebanese Muslims settled in Mexico and they were responsible for the opening of the first mosque in Mexico, built in the city of Torreon, in Coahuila, and named Suraya. Immigration to Mexico Lebanon–Mexico relations Lebanese Colombians Lebanese Brazilians Lebanese Argentines Los que llegaron - Libaneses from Canal Once

30.
Lebanese Uruguayans
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There are about 53,000 to 70,000 Lebanese Uruguayans, or Uruguayans of Lebanese origin. The Lebanese are one of the larger communities, though still not as large a group as most European groups. Relations between Uruguay and Lebanon have always been close, the first Lebanese immigrants to Uruguay arrived in the 1860s, settling in Montevideo around Juan Lindolfo Cuestas street. These early immigrants were mainly Maronite Christians, speaking only Arabic, the last great influx of Lebanese came in the 1920s along with other nationalities like Syrians and Europeans. Between 1908 and 1930, Montevideos population doubled, on January 21,1924, the Apostolic Missionary of Maronites was established by decree in Uruguay. On March 10,1925, Monseñor Shallita arrived in Montevideo from Naples to lead the mission, the early settlers faced some discrimination as Asiatics, and a few were unable to adapt and returned to their homeland. However, most became established as businessmen and entrepreneurs. Although retaining some characteristics, notably the Lebanese cuisine, most Uruguayans of Lebanese origin no longer speak Arabic and have fully assimilated. In 1997, the speaker of Uruguay visited Lebanon and met Patriarch Sfeir. He noted that the 99-seat parliament in Uruguay included two members with Lebanese origins including himself, in 1954 there were 15,000 people of Lebanese descent living in Uruguay. By 2009 the number had grown to between 53,000 and 70,000, in July 2009, the Lebanese Society in Uruguay celebrated its 75th anniversary. The 2011 Uruguayan census revealed 136 people who declared Lebanon as their country of birth, the majority of Lebanese-Uruguayans are Christians who belong to various churches, including the Maronite Church, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Melkite Catholic. Alberto Abdala, born of Lebanese immigrant parents, was a Uruguayan politician and he was noted for his abstract compositions in oil on glass. Jorge Chediak is a lawyer and judge, member of the Supreme Court, yazbik Kiwan يزبك كيوان was a notable architect in swimming pools, and hes the twin brother of Samer Zeidan سامر زيدان. However with his partnership Ziad Dakdouk زياد دقدوق they became the waelthiest Uruguayan/Lebanese, lebanon–Uruguay relations Lebanese diaspora Arab Uruguayans Mary Elizabeth Wilkie. La asimilación cultural de los siriolibaneses y sus descendientes en Uruguay

31.
Lebanese Chileans
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Lebanese Chileans, are immigrants to Chile from the Lebanon. Most are Christian and they arrived in Chile in the mid-19th to early-20th centuries to escape from poverty. Ethnically Lebanese Chileans are often called Turks, a term believed to derive from the fact that they arrived from present day Lebanon, most arrived as members of the Eastern Orthodox church and the Maronite church, but became Roman Catholic. The Christhttps, //www. codecademy. com/blogian Orthodox, built the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Santiago and it is a cathedral of the Church of Antioch with six parishes

32.
Lebanese people in Ecuador
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There is a significant number of people of Lebanese background in Ecuador. Migration from Lebanon to Ecuador started as early as 1875, early impoverished migrants tended to work as independent sidewalk vendors, rather than as wage workers in agriculture or others businesses. Though they emigrated to escape Ottoman Turkish oppression, they were called Turks by Ecuadorians because they carried Ottoman passports, the number of Lebanese descendants in Ecuador is not too clear. A1982 estimate from Lebanons Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated 20,000 and they reside mostly in Quito and Guayaquil. They are predominantly of the Christian Catholic faith, people of Lebanese background are very well represented in business and politics of the country. Some of them have reached the presidency and vice-presidency of Ecuador and their prominence in politics provoked some backlash, with one politician warning of the Bedouinization of Ecuador. Julio Teodoro Salem was President for an interim period in May 1944 before election of José María Velasco Ibarra. Abdalá Bucaram was elected President from August 10,1996 to February 6,1997, however he was highly unpopular and Parliament dismissed him because of mental disability. He was accused also of embezzlement of funds and replaced by Rosalía Arteaga. Yet a third President of the Republic was Jamil Mahuad and he served from August 10,1998 to January 21,2000 when he was forced to resign after a week of demonstrations by indigenous Ecuadorians and a military revolt led by Lucio Gutiérrez. Alberto Dahik, a Finance Minister and member of the Ecuadoran, the Lebanese immigrants in Ecuador, a history of emerging leadership, Westview Press, ISBN 978-0-8133-3718-0

33.
Lebanese Venezuelan
–
A Lebanese Venezuelan is a Venezuelan citizen of Lebanese origin or descent. There is around 341,000 to 500,000 people of Lebanese ancestry, Venezuela has one of the largest Lebanese populations in the Americas. Lebanese immigration to Venezuela started when the first wave began to arrive to the country during 1862, once disembarked in the ports of Venezuela, they were classified by the authorities as Turks, because they had only been issued passports with that nationality. According to research,2 the entry points were Margarita Island, the first contingent of Lebanese settled in these ports and also in Cumaná, La Guaira and Punto Fijo, from where they spread to the interior of the country. They worked mainly in the sector, helping to develop this sector in the national economy that until the moment presented little progress. The second wave of Lebanese immigration developed after 1918, next to the defeat of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, the French Mandate of Syria was established, with one of its subdivisions being the State of Greater Lebanon. The harsh conditions of the postwar period once again motivated the Lebanese to embark on a similar to that of the 19th century towards the American continent. The Lebanese were able to maintain their traditions and their identity already in Venezuelan territory, in religion, the majority of Lebanese-Venezuelans are Christians who belong to the Maronite Church, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Melkite Catholic. Tarek El Aissami, politician and governor of Aragua, tarek Saab, politician, lawyer, and poet. Elías Jaua, politician, former Vice President of Venezuela and university professor, henry Ramos Allup, politician and current president of the National Assembly. List of Lebanese people Lebanese diaspora Al Jadid, Arabs making their mark in Latin America

34.
Lebanese migration to Paraguay
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The arrival of immigrants of Lebanese origin to Paraguay consisted of a large number of people who have settled in this country, bringing their customs and way of life. In modern day, the amount of Lebanese immigrants to Paraguay reside in Ciudad del Este, alongside neighbor city Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil. Lebanon has an embassy in the city of Asunción, whilst Paraguay has an embassy in the city of Beirut and this situation resulted from immigration of many Lebanese in the late nineteenth century and the beginning of the century in search of a better perspective of life. With effort they managed to succeed in a different society from their culture, the immigration of the Lebanese to Paraguay can be divided into two eras, ancient and modern. Among the reasons which prompted the uprooting are included both the political reason, and also the economic one, the political reason responds to the need to escape the troubled relations that have emerged during the Ottoman Empire in the region. The economic reason lies in the many disappointments and poverty, the consequences of World War I, the strategic position of Lebanon in the Mediterranean Sea has meant ongoing invasions. It was part of Syria and the Ottoman Empire until 1918, in a second term after the Second World War, where thousands of people, mostly men, took the decision to leave the mother homeland because of the havoc that the war had caused. In this journey towards finding a future, they had to undertake long voyages in boats. In these trips they had to deal with troubles, diseases. They were forced to withstand natural disasters of all kinds in the middle of the sea, the first destination where they got was the harbor in Buenos Aires Argentina to which they arrived without even speaking Spanish and without knowing its customs. But they did not take much to adapt and strive to rebuild a decent life, forming households and they were organized in groups and communities, in order to find the best place to settle. Following trips by rivers or on trains until they came to Paraguay, mixing with Paraguayan society and after much effort and work they could open shops, factories or cultivate the land. They dedicated not only learn the Castilian but also the Guaraní, they fought in the Chaco War, participated with their civilization, joined their lives in marriage to men and women of Paraguay, respected the cultural identity of the country that hosted them. They taught their children the values of love for the two cultures, which created clubs and associations which still preserve their traditions, the last major contingent of immigrants arrived in Paraguay in the late 60 and early 70. The majority of Lebanese-Paraguayans are Christians who belong to the Maronite Church, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, in addition to being of Lebanese descent, there are Paraguayans of Syrian and Palestinian origin as well. From the 1970s, Sunni Muslim Arabs moved to the Ciudad del Este and this changed in the 1980s to Shia Muslim Arabs from South Lebanon. In 2010, Ciudad del Estes INTERPOL office had captured a Lebanese man of 37 years, Moussa Ali Hamdan and he was under an order of capture by the United States of America. It was also suspected that Hamdan financed terrorism, in 2011, a Lebanese man was arrested at the regional office of Interpol in Ciudad del Este because of identification problems, having been explused from France

35.
Lebanese people in Ivory Coast
–
There is a large population of Lebanese people in Côte dIvoire, whose numbers are variously estimated in the tens or hundreds of thousands. They are the largest Lebanese diaspora community in West Africa, there have been two major waves of migration from Lebanon to Côte dIvoire, the two groups, the durables and the nouveaux, form separate communities. Other early migrants did not come straight from Lebanon, but were drawn from among the children of earlier Lebanese migrants to Senegal. The community grew due to the relative lack of entry formalities compared to other West African countries. Beginning in the mid-1970s, a new wave of Lebanese émigrés began to arrive and their presence sparked government fears that they might bring with them the sectarian violence that had infected their homeland, however, no such violence actually erupted. By the late 1980s, reportedly 60,000 to 120,000 Lebanese and Syrians lived in Côte dIvoire, many of these later migrants came from the town of Zrarieh in southern Lebanon. The petits blancs, in response, began a campaign to restrict Lebanese immigration, the Lebanese also invested heavily in urban real estate and were among the first to develop hotels and restaurants in previously less accessible areas of the interior. More recently, they have become involved in football scouting, establishing training schools for youths. Groups from different villages in Lebanon dominate different trades, for example, Lebanese Ivorians claim that they control about 40% of the economy of the Ivory Coast. The Lebanese community is largely endogamous, however, this has not always been the case. Because of these divisions, and because of their status as a visible minority and they remain vulnerable to political pressure and manipulation, and find themselves unable—and unwilling— to assimilate to Ivoirian society. This study provides extensive information about this vital minority living and working in an import ant West African country. More significantly, it provides insights into the ability of African political leaders to manipulate, finally, it illustrates some of the difficulties of assimilation in a modern African social context, pointing out, in particular, that assimilation is a reciprocal process. Many Lebanese were also seen by Ivorians as being pro-Gbagbo

Spanish language
–
Spanish —also called Castilian —is a Romance language that originated in the Castile region of Spain, with hundreds of millions of native speakers around the world. It is usually considered the worlds second-most spoken native language after Mandarin Chinese and it is one of the few languages to use inverted question and exclamation marks. Spanish

3.
Antonio de Nebrija, author of Gramática de la lengua castellana, the first grammar of modern European languages.

4.
Miguel de Cervantes author of Don Quixote, considered the first modern European novel.

French language
–
French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages, French has evolved from Gallo-Romance, the spoken Latin in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues doïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and

1.
The "arrêt" signs (French for "stop") are used in Canada while the international stop, which is also a valid French word, is used in France as well as other French-speaking countries and regions.

2.
Regions where French is the main language

3.
Town sign in Standard Arabic and French at the entrance of Rechmaya in Lebanon.

English language
–
English /ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/ is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now the global lingua franca. Named after the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes that migrated to England, English is either the official language or one of the official languages in almost 60 sovereign states. It is the third most common language i

1.
The opening to the Old English epic poem Beowulf, handwritten in half-uncial script: Hƿæt ƿē Gārde/na ingēar dagum þēod cyninga / þrym ge frunon... "Listen! We of the Spear-Danes from days of yore have heard of the glory of the folk-kings..."

2.
Countries of the world where English is a majority native language

3.
Title page of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales c.1400

Lebanese Arabic
–
Due to multilingualism among Lebanese people, it is not uncommon for Lebanese people to mix Lebanese Arabic, French, and English languages into their daily speech. Lebanese Arabic shares many features with modern varieties of Arabic. Lebanese Arabic, like many other spoken Levantine Arabic varieties, has a structure very different from that of Mode

1.
Lebanon 's nationalist poet, Said Akl 's book Yara and an excerpt from the book in his proposed Lebanese Arabic Latin alphabet), which Fairouz and the Rahbani Brothers had chosen for their song, Yara

2.
Lebanese Arabic

3.
Lebanon has been passing through trials of setting up the Lebanese Arabic Latin alphabet. Lebnaan newspaper in proposed Said Akl alphabet (issue #686)

Armenian language
–
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenians. Like Hellenic Greek, it has its own branch in the language tree. It is the language of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. It has historically been spoken throughout the Armenian Highlands and today is spoken in the Armenian diaspora. Armenian has its own script, the Arm

1.
Armenian manuscript, 5th–6th century.

2.
regions where Armenian is the language of the majority

3.
The Four Gospels, 1495, Portrait of St Mark Wellcome with Armenian inscriptions

4.
First Armenian language Bible.

Christianity in Lebanon
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Christianity in Lebanon has a long and continuous history. Biblical Scriptures purport that Peter and Paul evangelized to the Phoenicians, the spread of Christianity in Mount Lebanon was very slow where paganism persisted in mountaintop strongholds. A2015 study estimates some 2,500 Lebanese Christians have Muslim ancestry, before the Christian fait

3.
An estimate of the distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups, 1991, based on a map by GlobalSecurity.org

4.
An estimate of the area distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups.

Maronite Christianity in Lebanon
–
Maronite Christianity in Lebanon refers to adherents of the Maronite Church in Lebanon, which is the largest Christian denomination in the country. The Lebanese Maronite Christians are believed to constitute about 22% of the population of Lebanon. Lebanons constitution was intended to guarantee representation for each of the nations ethno-religious

1.
An estimate of the distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups, 1991, based on a map by GlobalSecurity.org

2.
Lebanon religious groups distribution

3.
An estimate of the area distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups

Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Lebanon
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Lebanese Greek Orthodox Christians are believed to constitute about 8% of the total population of Lebanon. Most of the Greek Orthodox Christians live either in the city of Beirut, the Southeast. The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch adheres to the Eastern Orthodox Church and they are the second largest Christian denomination within Christianity in L

Melkite Christianity in Lebanon
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The Lebanese Melkite Christians are believed to constitute about 5% of the total population of Lebanon. The Melkite Christians live primarily in the central and eastern parts of the country, members of this rite are concentrated in Beirut, Zahlah, and the suburbs of Sidon. They have a higher level of education than other denominations. Melkite Chri

Protestantism in Lebanon
–
Protestantism in Lebanon is a Christian minority in an overwhelmingly Muslim and Christian country. Most Protestants in Lebanon were converted by missionaries, primarily English and American and they are divided into a number of denominations, including Presbyterian, Congregational, and Anglican. They are perceived by some to number disproportionat

Armenian Apostolic Church
–
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the national church of the Armenian people. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christian communities, Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion, in the early 4th century. The church claims to have originated in the missions of Apostles Bartholomew and it is s

1.
Etchmiadzin Cathedral, the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church

3.
Baptism of Tiridates III.

4.
Procession of Armenian Priests.

Armenian Catholic
–
The Armenian Catholic Church is one of the Eastern particular churches sui iuris of the Catholic Church. The Armenian Catholic Church is regulated by Eastern canon law, namely the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, during the Crusades, the church of the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia entered into a union with the Catholic Church, an attempt that

1.
Emblem of the Armenian Catholic Church

2.
Bishops meeting in Jerusalem, circa 1880 (note the Roman pallium worn by the archbishop in the centre).

3.
Headquarters of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate in Bzoummar, Lebanon

Syriac Orthodox
–
The Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, or Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean. Employing the Divine Liturgy of Saint James with Syriac as its official and liturgical language, the church is led by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch Ignatius A

4.
Celebration at a Syriac Orthodox monastery in Mosul, Ottoman Syria, early 20th century

Syriac Catholic
–
Being one of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, the Syriac Catholic Church has full autonomy and is a self-governed sui iuris Church, while in full communion with the Holy See of Rome. Mor Ignatius Joseph III Younan became patriarch in 2009, the Patriarch of Antioch of this church has the title of Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Syrians

1.
Syriac Catholic Church

2.
Seat of the Syriac Catholic Church in Damascus

Islam in Lebanon
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Islam in Lebanon is followed by 59. 5% of the countrys total population, Shias make up 27%, Twelvers are the predominant Shia group, followed by Alawites and Ismailis. Sunnis make up also 27%, Sunnis are mainly of the Shafii madhhab with pockets of Hanafi, several large Sufi orders are active in the country, including the Naqshbandi tariqa, and Qad

2.
An estimate of the area distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups.

Shia Islam in Lebanon
–
Shia Islam in Lebanon has a history of more than a millennium. According to CIA study, Lebanese Shia Muslims constitute 27% of Lebanons population of approximately 4.3 million, according to other sources the Lebanese Shia Muslims constitute approximately 40% of the entire population. Most of its adherents live in the northern and western area of th

2.
An estimate of the distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups, 1991, based on a map by GlobalSecurity.org

Sunni Islam in Lebanon
–
Sunni Islam in Lebanon has a history of more than a millennium. According to CIA study, Lebanese Sunni Muslims have followers who constitutes 27% of Lebanons population of approximately 4.3 million, the Lebanese Sunni Muslims are concentrated in west Beirut, Tripoli, Sidon and in the countryside of the Akkar. There is no distinct pattern that shows

1.
An estimate of the distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups, 1991, based on a map by GlobalSecurity.org

2.
Lebanon religious groups distribution

3.
An estimate of the area distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups

Alawites in Lebanon
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Shia Islam in Lebanon has a history of more than a millennium. According to CIA study, Lebanese Shia Muslims constitute 27% of Lebanons population of approximately 4.3 million, according to other sources the Lebanese Shia Muslims constitute approximately 40% of the entire population. Most of its adherents live in the northern and western area of th

Druze in Lebanon
–
Druze in Lebanon refers to adherents of the Druze faith, an ethnoreligious esoteric group originating from the Near East who self identify as unitarians. The Lebanese Druze people are believed to constitute about 5% of the population of Lebanon. The Druze, who refer to themselves as al-Muwahhideen, or believers in one God, are concentrated in the r

2.
An estimate of the distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups, 1991, based on a map by GlobalSecurity.org

4.
Lebanon religious groups distribution

History of the Jews in Lebanon
–
The history of the Jews in Lebanon deals with the presence of Jews in Lebanon, which stretches back to Biblical times. Following large-scale emigration following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and much more importantly the Lebanese Civil War, many live in Israel, and there are still a thousand or so living in Lebanon. As the latest census in Lebanon wa

1.
Maghen Abraham Synagogue in Beirut, Lebanon.

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Flag of Lebanon

3.
Beth Elamen, the Jewish Cemetery in Beirut (2008).

Lebanese people
–
The Lebanese people are the people inhabiting or originating from Lebanon. The religious groups among the Lebanese people are Shias, Sunnis, Maronites, Greek Orthodox, Druze, Melkites, there is a large diaspora in North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Africa. The term may include those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon

Lebanon
–
Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a sovereign state in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, Lebanons location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland facilitated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity. At j

1.
The Fall of Tripoli to the Egyptian Mamluks and destruction of the Crusader state, the County of Tripoli, 1289

2.
Flag

3.
Fakhreddine II Palace, 17th century

4.
1862 map drawn by the French expedition of Beaufort d'Hautpoul, later used as a template for the 1920 borders of Greater Lebanon.

Religion in Lebanon
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Lebanon has several different main religions. The country has the most religiously diverse society of all states within the Middle East, the main two religions are Islam with 54% of followers and Christianity with 40. 4% of followers. There is also the Druze minority religion, which under the Lebanese political division the Druze community is desig

Lebanese people in Sweden
–
The Lebanese people of Sweden are people from Lebanon or those of Lebanese descent who live in the country of Sweden. The majority of Lebanese people came in Sweden in the period between 1970s and 1980s, either escaping the Lebanese Civil War or for economic reasons, the Lebanese people in Sweden have set up their own traditional cultural and polit

1.
Europe

Lebanese people in Greece
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Lebanese people in Greece include immigrants and descendants of immigrants from Lebanon, numbering approximately 30,000 people of Lebanese descent. Migration from Lebanon to Greece started after 1975 during the Lebanese Civil War, most Lebanese came from Koura District in North Lebanon, which is mostly an Greek Orthodox area. During the civil war t

1.
Africa

Lebanese Americans
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Lebanese Americans are Americans of Lebanese descent. This includes both those who are native to the United States as well as Lebanese immigrants to America. Lebanese Americans comprise 0. 79% of the American population as of the American Community Survey estimations for year 2007, Lebanese Americans have historically excelled in business, academia

Lebanese Canadians
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Lebanese Canadians are Canadian nationals of Lebanese origin. Lebanese immigration began in 1882. The first Lebanese immigrant to Canada was Abraham Bounadere from Zahley in Lebanon and he came and settled in Montreal. Because of situations within Lebanon and restrictive Canadian laws these immigrants were 90% Christian and these immigrants were mo

1.
Nazem Kadri

2.
Paul Anka

3.
Kevin O'Leary

4.
Kristina Maria

Lebanese Australians
–
Lebanese Australians refers to citizens or permanent residents of Australia of Lebanese ancestry. Lebanon, in both its form as the Lebanese state and its historical form as the region of the Lebanon, has been a source of migrants to Australia for over two centuries. Some 203,139 Australians claim Lebanese ancestry, either alone or in combination wi

1.
People with Lebanese ancestry as a percentage of the population in Sydney divided geographically by postal area, as of the 2011 census

Lebanese immigration to Mexico
–
Lebanese Mexicans refers to Mexican citizens of Lebanese origin. Although Lebanese Mexicans made up less than 5% of the immigrant population in Mexico during the 1930s. Lebanese influence in Mexican culture can be seen most particularly in food, interethnic marriage in the Lebanese community, regardless of religious affiliation, is very high, most

1.
Miguel Sabah

2.
Image of Saint Charbel in a Roman Catholic church in San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí

3.
Emilio Chuayffet

4.
Statue with prayer requests at the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral

Lebanese Uruguayans
–
There are about 53,000 to 70,000 Lebanese Uruguayans, or Uruguayans of Lebanese origin. The Lebanese are one of the larger communities, though still not as large a group as most European groups. Relations between Uruguay and Lebanon have always been close, the first Lebanese immigrants to Uruguay arrived in the 1860s, settling in Montevideo around

1.
Alberto Abdala, a lawyer and politician of Lebanese descent, who served as member of the National Council of Government (1963-1937) and, later, Vice President of Uruguay (1968-1972).

2.
Memorial to the Uruguayan national hero José Gervasio Artigas, dedicated by the Lebanese community in Uruguay.

Lebanese Chileans
–
Lebanese Chileans, are immigrants to Chile from the Lebanon. Most are Christian and they arrived in Chile in the mid-19th to early-20th centuries to escape from poverty. Ethnically Lebanese Chileans are often called Turks, a term believed to derive from the fact that they arrived from present day Lebanon, most arrived as members of the Eastern Orth

1.
Notable Arab Chileans: Nicolás Massú

Lebanese people in Ecuador
–
There is a significant number of people of Lebanese background in Ecuador. Migration from Lebanon to Ecuador started as early as 1875, early impoverished migrants tended to work as independent sidewalk vendors, rather than as wage workers in agriculture or others businesses. Though they emigrated to escape Ottoman Turkish oppression, they were call

Lebanese Venezuelan
–
A Lebanese Venezuelan is a Venezuelan citizen of Lebanese origin or descent. There is around 341,000 to 500,000 people of Lebanese ancestry, Venezuela has one of the largest Lebanese populations in the Americas. Lebanese immigration to Venezuela started when the first wave began to arrive to the country during 1862, once disembarked in the ports of

1.
Africa

Lebanese migration to Paraguay
–
The arrival of immigrants of Lebanese origin to Paraguay consisted of a large number of people who have settled in this country, bringing their customs and way of life. In modern day, the amount of Lebanese immigrants to Paraguay reside in Ciudad del Este, alongside neighbor city Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil. Lebanon has an embassy in the city of Asunci

1.
Oscar Safuan

2.
Lebanese in Paraguay

Lebanese people in Ivory Coast
–
There is a large population of Lebanese people in Côte dIvoire, whose numbers are variously estimated in the tens or hundreds of thousands. They are the largest Lebanese diaspora community in West Africa, there have been two major waves of migration from Lebanon to Côte dIvoire, the two groups, the durables and the nouveaux, form separate communiti

1.
"Speak French, Be Clean", written on the wall of the Aiguatébia-Talau school prohibiting to speak Catalan

2.
Proportion of languages used at home by residents aged 6 or over in Taiwan in 2010, sorted by birth year. The chart shorts the tendency that speech communities of Taiwanese local languages are shifting to speak Mandarin.

1.
The Great Mosque of Kairouan (also called the Mosque of Uqba), was founded in 670 by the Arab general and conqueror Uqba ibn Nafi. The Great Mosque of Kairouan is located in the historic city of Kairouan in Tunisia.

2.
A map of the Arab world. This is based on the standard territorial definition of the Arab world, which comprises the states of the Arab League plus Western Sahara. Comoros is not shown.

1.
Presencia de América Latina (Presence of Latin America, 1964–65) is a 300 square meters (3,200 sq ft) mural at the hall of the Arts House of the University of Concepción, Chile. It is also known as Latin America's Integration.

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Latin America

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The Parc de l'Amérique-Latine in Quebec City, the capital of the French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec, celebrates the cultural ties between Quebec and the other people who speak a Romance language in the Americas.

4.
A view of Machu Picchu, a pre-Columbian Inca site in Peru. One of the New Seven Wonders of the World.